Sunday, March 23, 2008

Guess what? We got six little chicks yesterday at the Co-op! Two Barred Rocks, a Rhode Island Red, a Black Sex Link, and two New Hampshire Reds. I made a slideshow with their pictures:

Also, we got a phone call this morning saying that the chicks were at the post office! After some searching and knocking, we found the people that gave us our 32 adorable chicks. They were peeping in protest, but we got them in the car and warmed them up. They're now settled into the brooder with the other six. And guess what? Our free rare chick is a buff Polish!! We were so happy. I took pictures, but I can't get them on tonight. Tomorrow the other 6 Ameraucanas are coming, and I'll try to put pictures on then.

We went to the Co-op for duck food, and look what we found! These cute little Easter chicks were not hurt while they were dyed. How were they dyed? you may ask. Well, food coloring is injected into the egg while the chicks are still in them. This chick looks like a Grinch chick! Here's all the 6 different colors!

If you want to buy some dyed chicks, you can go to http://ideal-poultry.com/ and search for 'Easter'. I think they have dyed chicks, ducklings, and wild turkeys.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

It finally happened..... We moved our ducklings out to the garage! We put them in the water trough and put one small clip-light and the big light. I hope that they stay warm and the cats stay out! Today we took them outside to play and tried to introduce them to our crazy demonic cat, Sophia, and she tried to attack the poor little thing! It's OK, but it really scared me!! By the way, we've named all but one. Their names are: the Pekin is Donald, the crested is Dolly, the two little black ones are Daffy and Abbey, and the Mallard is Mallory. The possible Pekin/crested is not named yet, and we aren't really sure if it's a crested or not... Well, that's it!! They are so big, and I'll try to take new some pictures soon!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

The babies are growing sooo fast! I'll try to get some pictures soon. We put them in the bathtub yesterday and let them swim for the first time. They absolutely LOVED it!! They would zip around, and try to stand up in the water to flap their tiny wings! I love them. I named my crested duck: Dolly. Yeah, my friend gave me the idea. She has a big puff on her head, but if she's a boy, I might name him 'Billy Ray'. I want to make a little duck house for them out of cardboard and fabric. If I actually do, I'll post how to!

Today, we went to the Co-op for bedding (not that much longer till the chicks come!!!), and there were chicks and ducklings there! You'll never guess what happened........my mom said we could get a couple ducklings!!! Long story short, we now have six adorable little ducklings sitting in a RubberMaid tub in our Game Room (den). We used our old chick waterer and new feeder and put heat lamps above the cage(the clip-ons). We're not totally sure about the breeds, but I think we got one Mallard, one or two Pekins, maybe a White Crested Pekin (a duck with a funky hairdo), and two of an unknown breed. I've been looking all over the internet this evening for stuff on duck care!!!! If you have any tips, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me!!!! I'll try to post some pics as soon as possible--maybe even tonight, if there's time!! They really are adorable. Thanks!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

This is a clip-on heat lamp that, well, clips on to stuff!!! (In this case, the side of the trough.) This is an inferred light bulb. Strangely, chickens can't see inferred!This is the water trough from my grandpa. When I go to the Co-op when they have chicks, they're usually in one of these!

Side view of the brooder.... The holes are covered with Plexi-glass. This side is cut in half, so the chicks don't suffocate. Each window has four knobs, which MUST be turned up. If they aren't, the glass can fall out and scare the jibies out of the chicks.....and me, too!! This is what a heat lamp aluminium cover looks like. It fits perfectly into the hole on top.

This brooder is on loan from our friends and was hand-made by their dad (thank you SOmuch!!). We will most likely put the 24 Americauns chicks in here.The top of the brooder has a circle cut into it, which the heat lamp fits perfectly well. There is a lightbulb inside, and there is even an outlet to plug the heat lamp and light into!!

Here is the top of the brooder. The doors on either side are hinged and open up for easy access to the inside.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I am sooooo excited!!! I just placed the order for our chicks from McMurray Hatchery. This is what kind of chicks we are getting:

2 Buff Cochin Pullets (one for me, one for my sister)2 White Cochin Pullets (again, one for me and one for sis)2 White Crested Black Polish Pullets (same as the last two)1 Salmon Favorolle Pullet(I just decided "what the heck?" She's just for fun)24 Americauna Pullets (this is the big order, and we're raising them for my grandpa)6 Americauna Pullets (what started it all. these are through 4-H, three for me, three for my sister)1 Mystery Chick (the hatchery will just throw it in. it will most likely be a rooster, but we can give it to my grandpa)

That's all the chicks we are getting! Tomorrow, I'll try to take pictures of our brooders (which are in our garage) and post them, so you can get a feel of what these chicks will live in.

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About Me

I love chickens and have plenty of them. It all started in 2006, when I started the 4-H Chick-Chain project and received 28 chicks. We continue adding to our mess of birds each year. We received 44 little chicks in the mail in late March of 2008 and also hatched chicks for the first time, and those little babies are now grown hens. This past year we bought some different breeds from the Co-op, along with 4 ducklings. Our chicken breeds consist of Polish, Cochins, RIRs, Ameraucanas, many many Silkies, and lots of other fun breeds. We have six ducks, who go all about the backyard like a gang. Our total amount of poultry is currently around 40.